FOX News Regular Wayne Simmons Says Traitors Should Be Shot By A Firing Squad. Think He'd Say The Same About Valerie Plame Leaker?
Reported by Ellen - December 24, 2005
Frequent FOX News guest, "former CIA operative" Wayne Simmons was a guest on Hannity & Colmes Friday night (12/23/05) to discuss the petition of "American Taliban" John Walker Lindh to have his 20-year sentence commuted. The usually melodramatic Simmons outdid himself by saying, "I'm all for commuting his sentence and standing him in front of a firing squad which is where this guy belonged four years ago."
An obviously shocked Alan Colmes said he was all for justice but "Let the punishment fit the crime." Colmes explained that the government had dropped terrorism charges against Lindh, he didn't go to Afghanistan to fight the US, and that he was a misguided person who got "caught up in something he didn't mean to get caught up in."
Simmons condescedingly dismissed what Colmes said despite the fact that newspaper accounts bear him out. "Oh, please, Alan. Please, Alan. Alan, you can't believe what you're saying."
Colmes asked, "You want America to have firing squads?"
"You daggone right I do, for traitors, that's absolutely what they should have."
Colmes asked the other guest, Julia Tarver, an attorney for Guantanamo detainees, to respond. She gave a good answer. "If we want to continue to embarrass the United States government internationally on the path that we've been on, that's a great idea. Otherwise, I think we need to get back to what our fundamental principles are, which is we are a democracy of laws not of that sort of activity by any stretch."
Unfortunately, Tarver was never able to make any cogent argument about why Lindh deserved a commutation. When Rich Lowry, subbing for Sean Hannity asked if Lindh wasn't actually getting off easy, Tarver responded, "If you look at what he and others who were alleged to have been involved were actually doing, they - much of what they were doing is probably protected by the First Amendment." Comment: What was Lindh actually doing? Tarver never said.
That brought serious groans from Lowry and Simmons.
Simmons said that Lindh bragged on CNN about being part of Al Qaeda, the Tabliban and bragged about taking up arms against Americans. "If ever anyone deserved to be stood in front of a firing squad for betraying their nation, this is it."
Lowry was even uncharacteristically gallant toward Tarver when he put aside his usual snideness to say that he could understand her argument that Lindh's sentence was disproportionately harsh compared to others. But he questioned her assertion that fighting America is protected by the First Amendment.
Inexplicably, Tarver said, "What I am suggesting is that we focus more on what our administration is doing or failing to do and come up with a clear plan of action that is consistent with our principles." Say what?
Colmes stepped in to end the segment and made some of Tarver's points for her. "Why did the government drop terrorism charges against him? Why didn't the government stand up for this if they felt it was that important? If they thought he was a terrorist, they should have charged him with terrorism."
You can read more about Lindh's case, including the fact that his lawyers say there is new information they are not allowed to discuss at The San Francisco Chronicle or on the website called freejohnwalker.net.
Just before the break, Simmons showed some more of his Christian values by wishing the Jewish Colmes "Merry Christmas."
